Upload using programmer from another architecture gives java.lang.NullPointerException

[benlye]

I have created boards definitions for a couple of boards used in a project I'm working on. There are two avr boards but each needs it's own recipes in platform.txt, so I have created two architecture folders, let's say they are avr and avr2. The board package installation looks broadly like this:

project
    |-->hardware
        |--> avr
            |-->boards.txt
            |-->platform.txt
        |--> avr2
            |-->boards.txt
            |-->platform.txt

I would like to be able to use AVR programmers (USBasp, AVRISP, etc.) from either of my boards, but I am only able to use a programmer when I'm using the hardware board which is in the avr folder. I can rename the folders so avr2 becomes avr and vice-versa, and still only the avr folder works. For the non-avr folder I get this error when I try to Upload Using Programmer:

java.lang.NullPointerException
	at cc.arduino.packages.uploaders.SerialUploader.uploadUsingProgrammer(SerialUploader.java:314)
	at cc.arduino.packages.uploaders.SerialUploader.uploadUsingPreferences(SerialUploader.java:89)
	at cc.arduino.UploaderUtils.upload(UploaderUtils.java:78)
	at processing.app.SketchController.upload(SketchController.java:713)
	at processing.app.SketchController.exportApplet(SketchController.java:686)
	at processing.app.Editor$DefaultExportAppHandler.run(Editor.java:2265)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)

The same thing happens when attempting to burn the bootloader.

It seems like the problem is related to the avr2 folder name not matching the architecture of the Arduino avr boards, so the programmers are unknown.

So, my question is this: can I call a programmer from another architecture?

Is this a bug in the IDE or a known limitation? Either way, it would be nice if that error were friendlier. It took me quite a while to work out that it was the hardware folder name causing the problem.

I know I could add my own programmers using programmers.txt, but I don't like the idea of duplicating the existing programmers just for my board - this seems less than ideal.

If it's not possible to reference a programmer from a different architecture, how should I package two avr boards which have different build recipes? Can I do that in a single platform.txt file (which would allow me to put both boards in a single folder named avr?

[cmaglie]

You should not use the architecture name avr2 because such arch doesn't exists.
A lot of libraries refers to the architecture avr you should use only that one.

how should I package two avr boards which have different build recipes?

Which part of the recipe is different? Maybe you can define a variable that you can set in boards.txt (for each board) and use in platform.txt something like the VID/PID for example:

Arduino/hardware/arduino/avr/boards.txt

Line 39 in cd9a15e

yun.build.vid=0x2341

Arduino/hardware/arduino/avr/platform.txt

Line 130 in cd9a15e

build.usb_flags=-DUSB_VID={build.vid} -DUSB_PID={build.pid} '-DUSB_MANUFACTURER={build.usb_manufacturer}' '-DUSB_PRODUCT={build.usb_product}'

[benlye]

You should not use the architecture name avr2 because such arch doesn't exists.

Understood. Don't make up arch names.

Which part of the recipe is different?

The compiler flags and upload commands are different. If I can override those from boards.txt then I think I can solve it and put everything in one package.